International

Flights canceled, at least 2 killed as ice storm freezes US

Photo: Lola Gomez/The Dallas Morning News via AP

February 1^st |

Wintry weather brought ice to a wide swath of the United States on Tuesday, canceling more than 1,700 flights across the country and blocking roads. At least two people were killed on slippery roads in Texas and two law enforcement officers in the state were seriously injured, including one officer who was trapped under a truck, authorities said.

As the ice storm moved eastward Tuesday, watches and warnings stretched from the western heel of Texas to West Virginia. Several rounds of mixed precipitation, including freezing rain and sleet, were expected in many areas through Wednesday, meaning some regions could be affected multiple times, the federal Weather Prediction Center warned.

Emergency responders rushed to attend to hundreds of auto collisions in Texas and Gov. Greg Abbott urged people to stay off the roads.

Authorities said one person in Austin was killed in a pre-dawn pileup Tuesday. A 45-year-old man also died Monday night after his pickup truck slid into a guardrail on a highway near Dallas in slippery conditions and rolled down an embankment, according to the Arlington Police Department.

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More than 900 flights to or from the main U.S. airport hub, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, and more than 250 to or from Dallas Love Field were canceled or delayed Tuesday, according to the FlightAware tracking service. At Dallas-Fort Worth, more than 50% of Tuesday’s scheduled flights had been canceled by Tuesday afternoon.

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines canceled more than 560 flights Tuesday and delayed more than 350 more, FlightAware reported.

As of Tuesday morning, about 7,000 power outages were reported in Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said after a briefing in Austin on the worsening conditions. He stressed that the outages were due to factors such as ice on power lines or downed trees, not the performance of the Texas power grid that collapsed for days during a deadly winter storm in 2021.

Fleets of emergency vehicles were deployed among 1,600 roads affected by the freeze.

In Texas, a sheriff’s deputy who stopped to help the driver of an 18-wheeler that went off an icy road Tuesday was hit by a second truck that trapped him under one of its tires, according to the Travis County Sheriff’s Office. About 45 minutes after the accident on State Highway 130, the officer was freed from the wreckage and taken to a hospital, where he was in surgery Tuesday afternoon, authorities said. The deputy is expected to survive, authorities said.

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Spain’s irregular migrant population rises to 840,000, study finds

The number of migrants living in Spain without legal residency status continues to rise and has reached 840,000 people, with 91% originating from the Americas, particularly Colombia, Peru and Honduras, according to a report by the Spanish think tank Funcas (Foundation of the Savings Banks).

An estimated 17.2% of the non-EU foreign population living in Spain is in an irregular administrative situation. The estimate is based on the gap between the number of foreign residents effectively living in Spain, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE), and those who hold a residence permit, benefit from international protection, or are in the process of obtaining it.

The data, as of January 1, 2025, point to a notable and sustained increase in irregular migration since 2017, when the estimated figure stood at around 107,000 people, representing 4.2% of the non-EU population residing in Spain.

By origin, migrants from the American continent stand out, totaling around 760,000 people, or 91% of all irregular migrants. Colombians account for nearly 290,000, followed by Peruvians with almost 110,000, and Hondurans with about 90,000. Migrants from Africa (50,000), Asia (15,000) and Europe (14,000) trail far behind.

The figures predate Spain’s latest immigration regulation reform, which came into force in May 2025 and introduces measures to ease access to legal status through residency ties. According to Funcas, the reform would, in principle, tend to reduce the number of migrants in an irregular situation.

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Historic snowstorm paralyzes Toronto after 60 centimeters of snow

Toronto, Canada’s largest city and the fourth most populous in North America, was largely paralyzed on Monday after a historic snowstorm dumped up to 60 centimeters of snow and sent temperatures plunging to -15 degrees Celsius, authorities said.

Late Sunday, as the scale of the snowfall became clear, city officials declared a climate emergency, triggering extraordinary measures including parking bans on several major streets to facilitate snow removal operations.

Toronto’s public transit authority reported that while some buses remain immobilized, subway and streetcar services are operating with relative normality, though localized disruptions may occur.

A similar situation is affecting the city’s commuter rail network, which remains operational but is experiencing significant delays on its main routes due to the severe weather conditions.

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Venezuela frees at least 80 political prisoners, NGO says

At least 80 political prisoners were released on Sunday across Venezuela, human rights group Foro Penal reported, as the broader process of detainee releases continues at a slow pace under the interim government.

Foro Penal’s director, Alfredo Romero, wrote on social media platform X that verified releases took place nationwide and that the figure could rise as more confirmations are completed.

Attorney Gonzalo Himiob, also from Foro Penal, said the excarcelations occurred during the early hours of the day and emphasized that the number is not yet final pending further verification.

The releases are part of a series of steps announced by Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, who took power after the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro in a U.S. military operation on Jan. 3, 2026. Rodríguez has pledged a significant number of liberations but has been criticized by opposition groups and rights organizations for the slow and nontransparent nature of the process.

So far, the Venezuelan government reports that 626 detainees have been freed since December, though independent counts by human rights groups suggest the number of actual political prisoner releases is lower and that many remain behind bars.

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Families of those still detained have maintained vigils outside prisons, hopeful for further releases even as broader concerns about political imprisonment and due process persist.